The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-06-30
sgt Is beyond IL O'Clock, and 50 we go

szt Is beyend 10 O'Clock, and 80 we go
to thHbalhn
when we got, to the facon theatre,
where the masked ball was going on, the
floor was crowded by men and women in
carnival attire dancing a curious and sug-
gestiye Cuban waltz. We went in the
box Immediately over the governor gem:
erals, h thesecond tier. In an instant
every head IN the room was turned to-
wards Tomaso.
There was nothing new about the ball.
It was the same old series of wriggles and
contortions which invariably characterize
the Cuban dance and which make 1t In
its Yulgar form the grossest Of known
public hmusements. We had all been up
late the night before, and am afraid I
was rather sleepy. At all events, dozed
off q bit at the back of the box, while the
music strummed away monotonously.
The others talked and watched the crowd.
It must have been nearly 2 o'clock, when.
young yachtsman pulled open the door
Of the box, stuck half scared lace In and
nodded significantly to Tomaso. The lat
ter. raised his eyebrows perceptibly and
smiled his thanks for the warming, It
was evident that the duelist had arrived.
The gambler pulled my sleeve and told
me In hoarse whisper to wake up, but
the suggestion was not needed, for saw
by the movement In the crowd that we
were infor the row: at, last. "A crowd Of
club menand loupgefs surgeds inson the.
foorS and with themWas theher6of the
hmr, with his faSeWhiter than ever and
MKhi9 9eyea rolling Eom face to face. The
Englishman had evidently been thinking
deeply and he.was very much perturbed.
As the, little. group Of FOUNDERS pushed
their way. On the floor he arose and leaned:
over the young Cuban with a. more
fatherly air than I had ever seen him ex-
.hihit before.
81 wish you would come home, my
boy,n1 he said, with half su1len and half
husky voice. II feel Like criminal. L
ought to have spanked you, and put you to
bed three hours ago. The. trouble is that
the duel is such q recognized institution
In these countries than an outsider can
never interfere, but It Is a pity that you
have TO get into any sort Of q scrimmage
with that white faced cut down there on
the door. h444 n s15
sIt must be, you know said the
youngster reaignedly: s,It is the custom
of the country, and If showed the least
tendencyto shirkI would be cut by every
friend and relative on the islands
8 The Englishman sank back again into
his seat. Then proposed a walk through
the corridors. We moved out slowly with
the gambler beside Tomaso, and the Eng
lishnan and walking together beside
them. Twas rather surprised to see that
none Of the Cubans came to Tomaso' 'sside,
but I learned the reason from one of them as
we walked along. He said that as Tumaso
had deliberately chosen foreigners, mean
ing us, for his associates In the trouble,
they thought It would only be courtesy to
respect his wishes, but that they all held
themselves at his services at, any, time.
This I was told to communicate to him by
the speaker, whose good breeding appa-
rently prevented him from approaching
Tomaso himself. We moved down the
broad flight OF stairs and into the open
same moment the other, party hurried
tumultuously out Of the further door, and
wa heard occasional slurs and gibes leveled
at Americans and; Englishmen, including
four or five limitations OF how we spoke
Spanish. The limitations were 30 deity
and clsverly made that both the English
man and I grinned, but the gambler and
Tomaso were apparently quite unconscious
,of the fusflade Of remarks that were leveleS
atus. It began to look as If we were Id
for mora of a row than we had at first
supposed. We were walking directly
toward the.srowd, and in;thesfronterank
stood the dIealiat, with sA sort OF stage
smile onh6 tma Apss and hts eyes fixed
directly on the slim boy who was walking
by the gamblers side. yyy
5 S1had rather havs had that famous Chi
icago faro dealer and gambler for q guard
at that moment thkne asregiment Of the !
.cza's imperial guards. There was some
thing about his fmmoYable face and the
protecting -manner.ei which he hoVered
about the boy that caused even the hot
3blooded and half tipsy crowd that we
were approaching to moderate their voices.
We had approached within five feet Of the
crowd, when Tomaso, without 8 word Of
warning to us or.any one else, sprang for.
ward like cat directly into the crowd,
and, with g single back handed motion,
- S.,k a. - ,-~ySI.